To Know the Truth

How do we know when something is true? What constitutes proof? Is there an absolute truth? These are important questions to ask. How we answer them depends on our sense of purpose and our definition of truth.

For example, in this era of fake news and conflicting opinions, it’s easy to see that our sense of purpose affects our perception of truth. If we want to go to Minneapolis, any route that takes us to Minneapolis is a true route, and any route that takes us elsewhere is a false route. So how do we know which route to take? We can consult a friend who’s been there and take his or her advice, or we can consult a map. But our friend could be mixed up and a map could be wrong. The best proof is to take the trip and arrive in Minneapolis. Thus firsthand experience is the best determinant of truth.

Of course, if we don’t know where we’re going, the Cheshire cat tells us any road will take us there. That’s why it’s important to have a purpose or personal philosophy in life. With no purpose, there’s no organizing principle, no direction, and no basis for making decisions.

If you want to be healthy, anything that makes you healthy is true to your purpose, and anything that detracts from your health is false. So how do we know which health plan to follow? We can consult a health practitioner and take their advice, or we can consult a book. But again, the practitioner could be mixed up and the book could be misleading. But they are a start—for if we start out on our own, without any guide or map, we could get lost.

We need to choose a reliable guide or a proven method. Health fads and so-called experts come and go. What we need is a method that has stood the test of time. Such a method is ayurveda, the age-old science of life and longevity. In fact, as readers of this column know, ayurveda, being nondogmatic, helps us to individualize our health choices. What is helpful for one person is not necessarily going to be helpful for you.

Every science has its own set of criteria for determining validity or proof. In ayurveda, the starting point is subject-object dualism. Consciousness (the subject) is on one side, external objects are on the other side, and the process of perception (subject to object) is in the middle.

Based on this scheme, there are four sources of or means of gathering valid knowledge from the external world. The first and most reliable is pratyaksha, or direct perception by the mind from the senses about external objects. For example, if we have a rash on our arm, we might notice that it looks red, feels hot, and smells foul.

Next comes anumana, or inference. Based on our direct perceptions and past experience, we generalize or infer that there is too much heat in the body.

Third comes upamana, or comparison. Based on our direct perception and our inference of excessive heat, we compare this situation to similar situations encountered in the past. Thus comparisons help support the inference that there is too much heat in the body.

The last source is shabda, the testimony of experts or tradition. If we’re not sure, we can ask others or rely on tradition. If tradition tells us to apply cooling substances to diminish the excessive heat, then we can put that treatment plan to the test. Inferences, comparisons, and traditional teachings are best verified by our direct experience. In this way, an entire body of knowledge is built up, tested over time, and passed down to others to be further developed and tested.

But all of these sources or means of gathering knowledge are subject to errors. There can be errors in our perception or cognition. We don’t see things clearly. We misunderstand what’s being said. Our mind is foggy. Our reasoning is based on false premises. Then comes doubt. We aren’t sure. We can’t make up our mind. We’re torn or simply under the sway of old habit patterns. Sometimes we start entertaining hypothetical notions that distract us. We get lost in concepts and arguments. We get confused. As a result, our knowledge is incomplete, our reasoning is erratic, and we make mistakes.

If defects in our senses lead to defective perceptions, faulty premises to invalid inferences, and unreliable testimony to false authority, what are we to rely upon? The Buddha taught us the four reliances:

Rely on the teaching, not on the teacher.

Rely on the meaning, not just the words.

Rely on the principle, not just the provisional rule.

Rely on your wisdom mind, not your ordinary mind.

What is the wisdom mind? The wisdom mind is sometimes called the intellect, the higher mind, or the buddhi. If awake and functioning, it is our faculty of discernment. It helps us see through the morass of confusion. It helps guide our decisions.

How do we develop our wisdom mind? The best practice is meditation. Meditation allows us to step back and reflect upon all the competing notions coming from the outside: from books, teachers, TV, the web, and our own conflicted thoughts and emotions. When all the fuss calms down, we begin to see clearly and we know.

Sit quietly and watch your breath for a few minutes until the body and mind begin to relax. Then begin to watch the various thoughts and notions as they rise and fall in the field of the mind. As you watch the various thoughts, reflect on your purpose. Is this thought helpful to my purpose? If not, let it go. Continue until the mind becomes clear.

Not all of our knowledge comes from outside sources. Ayurveda and yoga teach a second kind of direct perception that comes from inside. It’s called alaukika or yogi-pratyaksha. It means extraordinary or yogic perception. This is intuitive knowledge that comes not from the mind and senses but from pure consciousness. Our higher mind is illuminated by the power of consciousness.

The yoga tradition has developed a two-truth doctrine. In ordinary perception, we notice that the world is always in flux. Ideas, opinions, and conditions are constantly changing. This is called the truth of the relative world—the world of duality. But there is also an ultimate truth—an abiding truth that never changes. Long ago, in both Eastern and Western philosophy, it was realized that the only acceptable definition of truth is that which is never born, never dies, and is not subject to change. How could a truth that changes be the truth? Some accept this assertion on faith. Some are skeptical of an ultimate truth. Others claim to have realized ultimate truth through the power of yogi-pratyaksha.

The Hindu Indian sage Vasistha said this about truth, or as he called it, consciousness: “Consciousness is pure, thought is subject to confusion…. From consciousness is time; from consciousness is perception of the perceivable object. Action, form, taste, smell, sound, touch and thinking—all that you know is consciousness alone and consciousness is that by which you know all this! Consciousness is in the seer, sight and seen as the very seeing; when you know consciousness, you realize your self.” —Vasistha

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Gary Gran is a certified yoga teacher and ayurvedic educator who teaches in Evanston. He is the co-director of Annapurna Holistic Services and can be e-mailed at ggran9@att.netgmail.com. His blog is ayurvedalessons.com.